Sari, swag and sonic rebels: Women in desi hip-hop

Mumbai The green room at Mehboob Studios is swell with the matriarchs Dee MC Krantinaari and Irfana have arrived in Bandra for Spotify Rap 91 Eve to remind us that ndash since its inception there have always been women in hiphopFrom its genesis in the Bronx New York 1973 ndash hiphop owes its humble birth to Cindy Campbell the teenage girl who threw a block party to buy clothes for school The American Bgirl along with her brother DJ Kool Herc sparked an event that went down as a historic moment when hiphop gained momentum in mainstream pop culture50 years hence the fruit has ripened as the matrons join forces to dish rhythm and beats laced with lyrics from the counterculture At the backstage this writer spoke to the trio on how hiphop shapes their identity and dares them to forge a distinct pathMumbai homegrown Dee and KrantiLeading the squad is the prodigy ndash Deepa Unnikrishnan AKA Dee MC who is a rapper singer and songwriter from Mumbai Along with delivering numbers like lsquoKhoyi Sirsquo and lsquoLA to Bombayrsquo she judges talent at the Indian raphiphop reality show ndash MTV Hustle 20View this post on InstagramA post shared by Deepa Unnikrishnan Dee MC deepa_deemcTracing her roots to the art Dee shares ldquoI wanted to choose a path that is so less travelled by women that it gave me a shot at becoming one in a billion So it was obvious that the bar was set very very lowrdquoShe recalls how the introduction to hiphop culture granted her a sense of belonging ldquoIt blew my mind when I learnt about rappers from Kashmir to Kanyakumari who have never met before are lyrically connected and fg textbattling with each other online That made me feel like I found a community for myselfrdquoAlthough widely considered a synonym for rap music the term hiphop blankets a complex culture comprising five elements deejaying rapping graffiti Bboying and knowledge of self recounts Dee Originating at the fringes of society the hiphop movement is largely surrounded by myths mystery and obscurity around its originsSitting aside Dee is Krantinaari ndash the Mumbaibased reformist rapper with chapters portraying the lived experiences of women dealing with PCOS colour and body positivity True to her name she embodies a rebellious spirit that is aimed at quashing ageold dogmasShe opens up about foraying into hiphop ldquoEarly on in 7th grade I started playing basketball And when theres basketball the music that comes with it is hiphoprdquo The concept is not unfamiliar to usOften basketball courts promenades and recreational spaces in urban neighbourhoods turn into localised hiphop gigs Carter Road may ring a bell rappers bgirls bboys disk scratchers and MCs jam to postural semantics during community events at the seafront of Bandra BayContinuing on her journey Krantinaari shares ldquoBack in the day I used to get bullied by my team and others since I didnt speak English To this my comeback came late but it came in the form of rap music It taught me a language and the way to stand up for myselfrdquoFrom learning a new language to getting accepted in the Indian hiphop community ndash the arch manifested into Kranti finding and asserting her expression through a language she knew bestSouth side menace IrfanaView this post on InstagramA post shared by IRFANA irfanahameedAdding a Southern flavour to this conversation is Irfana Hameed a Kodaikanalbased rapper and singer who is making waves with her numbers lsquoSouthside Menacersquo lsquoSheila Silkrsquo and live DJing at intimate eventsIrfana opens up about hiphop and the role it plays in defining her identity ldquoInitially when you learn about hip hop you learn that it comes from a place of struggle Thus it becomes a voice for people who usually dont have a voicerdquoAs she outlines hiphops genesis can be traced to the Western marginalised communities facing socioeconomic challenges and inequalities back in the 70s Hiphop emerged as a medium for Black Latin and Caribbean American youth in the Bronx to highlight systemic discrimination and gave them a language to express dissentFrom this crucible of creativity hiphop evolved into a powerful force that not only reflected the struggles of its originators but also became a tool for empowerment and a global platform for social commentaryInitially Irfana began rapping about her identity struggles given her Islamic background and gender Now its starting to become more about being a female in hip hop because it begs to be so We take a stand and are like yo listen no matter what were here to stayldquoThe audience also is taking some time to get used to listening to female rappers and I see a lot of that in the comment sections on social media Despite garnering support there are still sentiments of toxicity like can women even raprdquo retorts IrfanaThe lsquoboy gangrsquo dominated music has heavily relied on presenting women as objects of conquest or beauty props in their clips Often the lyrics are marked with braggadocious lyrics about violence guns flex and money with womenrsquos versions of stories largely missingNevertheless there has been a noticeable surge of female representation in hiphop in recent years marking a shift in the music landscape Females in the Indian hiphop scene are not only changing the narrative but also toppling orthodox ideologies that sprout from a patriarchyChallenges of being a female in Indian hiphopWith a handful of headlining female rappers like Hard Kaur and Rajakumari Dee has been steadily establishing the reins of her artistry over the years However the journey has come with its own set of pricks and potholesldquoIts like its always been 9 people giving us love and one person spewing hate For me the biggest problem was to become financially independentrdquo ndash shares Dee Post completing her graduation at 19 she has maintained a decadelong uninterrupted work record to support her passionWhat about familial support ndash we askldquoI come from a family that is reserved and believes in only working for other people so theres nobody who has ever thought of taking risks to set up a business of their own Theyve always worked for someone elserdquoldquoThe entire idea of fending for yourself without any constant salary is such an alien concept for them Uske upar se music se paisa banana aur wo bhi bahar gaon ka music laughs It was draining to get them on board Hence I knew that if I wanted to do anything with my life I had to earn and move out of my house So being a woman that is the biggest thing I had to work towardsrdquoAt the age of 19 when most Indian children dwell in the comfort of their homes or attend college Dee had to get out of that safe environment and build her life from scratch Despite her family living in Bombay ndash she lives separately to be able to pursue her passion with full ammoToday she has overcome her shortcomings to become one of the fiercest women to come out of India and represent the country internationally This includes her selection into a group of international artists who were mentored by Jason Derulo in Los Angeles USA in 2022While Dee continues to inspire us galore Krantinaari has a more scholastic approach to addressing the challenges that mar womanhood She explains ldquoWomen usually are conditioned to listen or do things in a certain way They will be put into this trap of fairy tales and they will be like Oh that Prince Charming is going to come and rescue merdquoldquoAs a woman youll be deluded to listen to Arijit Singh the whole time And youre going to be in love most of the time But that is just not the case As you can see Im a tomboy myself and women can be this way toordquo she emphasisesNot just women but men have also been tied to genderbased roles which inhibits their true expression and ideas ldquoThey are put into this whole churning struggling and earning for the family cycle These two bifurcations make you realise how limiting it is for women to pursue music as a choice and that is why you dont see women in the crowdrdquoShe provides more insights into why there is a limited presence of women particularly in hiphop and rap audiences ldquoYou donrsquot see women because they dont relate to what boys are talking about But if I talk about PCOS if I talk about colour then women are going to understand that hip hop is more than just about your struggling life or making these hustling movesrdquoView this post on InstagramA post shared by KRANTINAARI krantinaariTaking Krantirsquos stand one notch further Irfana opens up about her hustling moves into hiphop music as a woman ldquoIm a Muslim so it isnt very conventional for me to be performing in front of people I faced a lot of obstacles when I was starting out because rapping and hiphop didnrsquot go down well with my extended familyrdquoAs time went by things got back on track for Irfana as she navigated her journey around hiphop However she did face backlash on social media ldquoI received Islamic death threats Though its very very sparse but those are the only negative messages that Ive gottenrdquoHiphop as a way of lifeDee dives straight into what about hiphop culture appealed to her ldquoJust the ability to recite something so fast was what drew me to Hiphop Fast part meko bolne ata hai and that is my flexrdquo she tells us with a wicked smileAdditionally her training in Bharatnatyam sharpened her grasp of the rhythm required for hiphop Shersquos in it to create an impact with the power of words ldquoIn a way hiphop is bringing that lyricism back Its bringing the importance of painting pictures through your wordsrdquoShe unravels her understanding of true hiphop ldquoIn this work of art keeping it real is the one thing that is expected of you No matter what youre doing graffiti dance turntabling whatever ndash keep it real Write about what is real If you dont have the money dont talk about money just for the heck of itrdquoFor Krantinaari her lyrics are her way of documenting the stories of women around her ldquoIm still rooted to being all rageful But I also am shifting to being joyful because there are two sides to me Im like full bakchd at so many times and serious at other moments so these dynamics of women need to find a space in their music as wellrdquoIrfana who has worked with Parimal Shais ndash a prominent Bangalorebased music producer and DJ has always loved writing poetry she tells Midday It was in college that hiphop struck her and left her inspired ldquoI started writing my own verses and when I came back to India I saw this huge growth of indie music happening hererdquoldquoAs we speak it has turned into this huge movement with a scalable industry that has taken over the world Hiphop is so raw its unlike any other music formrdquo Irfana speaks eloquentlyldquoIm a smalltown girl from Kodaikanal who went straight to university in Canada So when I came back to India I started experimenting with some friends during COVID19 Things just sort of snowballed from there and here I amrdquoOne advice for budding female rappers in IndiaIrfana Youre never going to get to that point where yoursquoll be fully confident and brave enough to be a rapper if you dont start So just drown out the noise and start putting your work out there Itll happen fast if you just startDee MC Stay true to yourself Know very well why youre doing this If youre doing this for fame and attention then the sooner you start the sooner you quit If you look at the community aspect you see that it is a lifestyle and a discipline that takes time to build Nothing happens over timeKrantinaari I know it sounds super cheesy but you have to believe in yourself to the level of being called a maniac People might mistake it for ego but its selflove Its belief in yourself And any woman who is assertive will be called a bitch So be ready for that